Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 218 Six Ears Gone, Eight Ears Remain: The Dream of the Butterfly in Nanhua

In Lü Qian's vision, a giant tree radiating endless brilliance perched in the void.

The starry river where the two of them were just now was merely a pattern on this giant tree.

The gnarled and uneven branches intertwine and intertwine, forming a tree whose size is difficult to discern.

"No, this isn't a tree like this."

Lu Qian's pupils shone with a bright, clear golden-red light, reflecting the immortal starlight. He stared at the giant tree in the infinite distance, as if he had discovered something.

Ordinary trees should have roots that grow upwards, converge to form a trunk, and then the trunk branches into countless branches.

But in Lü Qian's eyes at this moment, the giant tree on the other side did not grow according to common sense.

Its roots, its trunk, and its branches are all different from ordinary trees, as if they have no beginning and no end.

It has the form of a tree, but not its physical characteristics.

Just as Lü Qian unconsciously tried to concentrate on examining the scene, Zen Master Daoji's voice boomed in his ears like thunder.

"Foolish child, wake up!"

Accompanied by the thunderous sound, Zen Master Daoji stepped forward from behind Lü Qian, waving his tattered palm-leaf fan once more.

The giant tree composed of starlight vanished as the fan fell, as if it had never existed on the other side. The boundless, desolate void returned to its previous tranquility.

"Om Mani Padme Hum".

The Guanyin mantra was recited again. Zen Master Daoji squinted and turned to look at Lü Qian, who was sitting cross-legged in the void.

The other party seemed to have entered a state of enlightenment. He was staring in the direction of the giant tree, and the flames in his pupils flickered rapidly.

Seeing this, Zen Master Daoji smiled and nodded. He didn't say anything, but simply sat down opposite Lü Qian again, quietly waiting for the traveler's enlightenment.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Zen Master Daoji was yawning and preparing to sit back and take a nap in the void, something visited him.

"Splash, splash, splash..."

Suddenly, something seemed to appear in the boundless void, a being different from the two of them.

A faint, almost imperceptible sound arose, fainter than a child's breath, more subtle than a gentle breeze.

"Splash, splash, splash..."

On the distant shore, where the giant tree had just disappeared, a butterfly fluttered by.

Its speed is very slow, and the rhythm of its wings beating is long and constant, but in an instant it leaps from the other side.

This is a butterfly made of faint silver light, which is scattered into specks of light like dust, flowing around the butterfly.

The silver light was not dazzling; in this star-like void, it was dim and illusory, as if it did not exist at this moment, nor in this place.

It's more like a dream, a fleeting illusion.

"Splash, splash, splash..."

A silver butterfly flew in from afar, its presence not disturbing anyone in the area.

Zen Master Daoji leaned on his arm and fell into a deep sleep, a tattered palm-leaf fan covering his face, from which came rhythmic snores.

Lu Qian remained engrossed in gazing at the void beyond the horizon, the golden-red light in his eyes flashing faster and faster, as if it would transform into the eternal sun and moon at any moment.

The illusory butterfly flapped its wings, swirling around, leaving a dazzling and ethereal trace in its path in the dim silver light. But this trace, like the butterfly itself, was neither visible nor audible.

As if it had discovered a bright flower, the phantom butterfly circled around Zen Master Daoji and Lü Qian twice before landing on Lü Qian's shoulder.

It seemed almost alive, its slender butterfly feet complementing its slowly coming to a stop, as it nimbly strolled and hopped on Lü Qian's shoulder.

Lu Qian, who was usually very perceptive, seemed unable to detect the weight of the butterfly at this moment, and the light in his pupils flickered as expected.

The next moment, a clear voice resounded throughout the void.

"I see!"

Lu Qian withdrew his gaze from the other side, his eyelids blinked slowly, and the intense, bright red-gold light reached its peak at this moment.

Just as he was about to share his insights, a palm-leaf fan was suddenly placed over his face.

"Young friend Lü, it is something that can be observed and imagined but not described; you are not at that stage yet."

The somewhat languid voice of Zen Master Daoji came from behind the palm-leaf fan. Lü Qian suppressed his excitement and calmed his boiling blood.

The other party didn't actually give him anything substantial; they just showed him the scenery beforehand.

This scenery does not belong to the human world, nor to the mortal realm; it is merely the most ordinary scenery on the path to heaven.

It didn't teach Lü Qian any cultivation techniques or scriptures, but it gave him a deeper understanding of this world and the path to immortality.

As his eyelids blinked, the light in Lü Qian's pupils gradually faded, revealing his originally ordinary eyes.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Lu Qian removed the palm-leaf fan from his face and respectfully handed it over. "Please rest assured, senior. Although it is indeed a bit early to understand now, these things are too profound and cannot affect me at this time."

Zen Master Daoji took the palm-leaf fan and looked into Lü Qian's clear eyes, confirming that he had not done anything wrong with good intentions.

But just as he was about to look away, he caught a glimpse of the illusory butterfly on Lü Qian's shoulder out of the corner of his eye.

As if he had seen something extraordinary, Zen Master Daoji couldn't help but scratch his back with his hand, which had been tickling him.

"hiss--"

"What's wrong, senior?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Zen Master Daoji waved his hand, holding a palm-leaf fan, and lowered his head, clutching his waist, avoiding looking at Lü Qian's shoulder.

"I wasn't paying attention when I was scratching myself, and I accidentally scratched my heart, which gave me a chill."

Zen Master Daoji slumped back into the void, secretly hiding his face behind the palm-leaf fan, and peeked at Lü Qian through the gaps in the fan blades.

"You've made a fool of yourself in front of us, a junior."

Seeing that Zen Master Daoji still had the leisure to tell jokes, Lü Qian thought it was nothing and sat back down in his original seat.

As he moved, the silver butterfly fluttered gently on his body, but Lü Qian seemed not to notice.

As if he had confirmed something, Zen Master Daoji acted as usual and asked with a smile.

"Now you understand the relationship between this humble monk and Zen Master Huijing?"

Lü Qian nodded. "I understand. He is him, and you are you."

"Although he can follow your path, he is always like a person wearing a mask. When the mask is removed, his imitation is just that—imitation—not the real person."

"It's like a Nuo opera shaman, except they invoke the power of faith, while Zen Master Huijing uses your Tao."

"It's good that you understand."

Zen Master Daoji laughed heartily, "If people follow my example, they will be on the path of demons."

"But if people are to play me, then they can naturally forge their own path on the path of this humble monk."

"Speaking of which, the Western devil you're dealing with this time is the same type, and his acting isn't bad either."

"Alright, you should go back now."

After saying that, he waved his palm-leaf fan, and Lü Qian's figure instantly disappeared into the void.

After seeing Lü Qian off, Zen Master Daoji breathed a sigh of relief, reached for a wine gourd, and took a big gulp of wine.

"Ton ton ton..."

"Hey, Master Nanhua has actually come."

He wiped his mouth. "In this world, do you think you can still create a peaceful society?"

After saying that, he complained to the void behind him, "You bunch of spectators, you really think you're just spectators, don't you know how to give this poor monk a word of advice?"

"What are you talking about, fellow Daoist? We didn't see anything just now."

Several voices echoed in the void, indicating that quite a few people had been hiding there.

"Also, you told Lü Qian before that there was no Six Ears here. In order to prevent you, a monk, from lying, we naturally covered our ears as well."

Zen Master Daoji snorted, "I said there are no six ears, not that there are no eight or ten ears. You're probably just enjoying what you see and hear."

"It's alright, at least we had something to talk about for a while."

In this empty space, Zen Master Daoji and the voices in the void conversed with each other, and the atmosphere from before eased.

……

the other side,

Seeing this seemingly dismissive attitude, Lü Qian was somewhat bewildered. Before he knew it, he had returned to his original thatched hut.

"Young friend Lü, why are you staring at this humble monk?"

Dressed like Zen Master Daoji, Zen Master Huijing couldn't help but take a step back when he saw Lü Qian's blank stare.

"Don't rush, this humble monk will now explain the Western devils' scheme."

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Chapter One!

I'm working on the second chapter tonight!